De-Lovely (4 stars)
Various artists
"Enchantment"—one of those earnest words flushed out of pop culture when irony was ushered in.
But enchantment endures in this charming soundtrack to the new Cole Porter bio-flick. Contemporary crooners, plus headliners Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce and even Porter himself, perform 18 indestructible pop melodies by an enchanting composer.
Robbie Williams has a ball with the kickoff title tune. Though Alanis Morissette's reedy pipes fail to fully exploit the possibilities of "Let's Fall in Love," her exuberance and Porter's fail-safe lyricism see it through. Sheryl Crow's voluptuous "Begin the Beguine" is one of the disc's highlights. Backed by tuba, fiddle and barrelhouse piano, Elvis Costello brings postmodern cheekiness to "Let's Misbehave." Diana Krall is in her wheelhouse on "Just One of Those Things." Vivian Green's bell-like clarity complements the mournful cynicism of "Love for Sale." Natalie Cole echoes her dad's ethereal grace on "Every Time We Say Goodbye." Star Kline delivers impressively on the forever young "Night and Day" with John Barrowman, the carefree "Be a Clown," and with Judd, creates a mutual serenade on the dreamy "In the Still of the Night." Caroline O'Connor sings the stuffing out of the timeless "Anything Goes," while Porter, in his delightfully pinched chortle, croons "You're the Top." And musical-theater vet Jonathan Pryce leads the cast on "Blow, Gabriel Blow," a joyous ascent to heaven.
De-Lovely should come wrapped in a tiny tuxedo and pocket hankie. It's classy, sassy and absolutely de-lish.
Fastball (3.5 stars)
Keep Your Wig On
Some bands are one-hit wonders for a good reason. Others, like Fastball, make music just as good as their one hit for their entire careers but never achieve the same level of success, for reasons having as much to do with the vagaries of radio and record labels as with the quality of the music. Most people don't realize that Fastball has done anything beyond its 1998 hit "The Way," but the Austin, Texas, trio keeps putting out catchy, clever pop in the face of increasing indifference.
On their fourth album, Keep Your Wig On, Fastball sounds relaxed, freed from major-label confines and under less pressure to churn out another "The Way." There still are plenty of hooks, but they sound more organic than in the past. "Lou-ee, Lou-ee" is pure bubblegum, "Til I Get it Right" throws in a funky horn section, and "Mercenary Girl" is honky-tonk heaven, complete with pedal steel. None of them are likely to put Fastball back in heavy rotation, but for those willing to seek it out, Keep Your Wig On proves that the one hit was no wonder.